Rogue Monk Madness

22oz in Trappist Glass. Pours a murky amber-brown with a creamy tan cratered head that has a nice thick webbed lacing. Scent is an eclectic combination of citrus, heavy maltiness, and light notes of yeasty mustiness combined with a light bitter hop complement. Taste is wide ranged and very complex... Initially very sweet in the mouth with a malty palate. This gives way to a medium bodied belgian character with a quick decline into sharp hoppiness and grain... Surprisingly smooth with a light bitter residue. A very unique beer- almost a tribute to opposites in attrraction. Has the character of an aggressive US Northwestern beer intermixed with the complexity and subtelty of a well crafted Belgian...

[353-20070622] Bottle (c/o DuctTape, w/ him, jerc). Citrus veggie hoppy aroma. Murky, brown amber body with a foamy medium-lasting light tan head. Hoppy bitter flavour, heavy Belgian characteristics. Medium-full body. Complicated but not unpleasantly so.

Sorrel body, medium beige head. Malty sweetness in the nose with some citrus hops and tart cherries. Medium body. The flavor is bittersweet in many senses of the word. A mediocre beer.

Bomber consumed on 5/28/07
Here’s a beer that really shows you that Belgian beers are made or broken by their yeast qualities (for the most part). Obviously, the malt, does not a Belgian beer make. That being said, even the malt in this one was a bit lackluster and rather unfocused. Despite some chewy cookie dough and light caramel sweetness up front, it’s mostly dry and gets very crusty/hard/grainy towards the end. The hops dont seem to match the malts in the least and sit in stark contrast on the end, with probably too much bitterness and citric quality. I’m a big fan of well-thought-out, complex malt bills, but this one just dosent have enough base malt softness/sweetness to carry the dry, hard flavors. Somewhat mitigating this is the easygoing, but engaging carbonation.
As usual though, it looks the part, showing a large hazelnut colored head atop a brownish-rust-amber body. Lacing et al. Nose is somewhat cookieish, with graham crackers, light tints of raisins and leafy hops on the end, confusing things as they do in the flavor. Vanilla and breadiness come with warming. No alcohol or flaws. It’s an interesting experiment, but I think there’s a reason why Belgian beers use Belgian yeast....

22oz bottle. Aroma: Sweet maltiness with a brown sugar note, yeast, piney hops, and some light apple/grape. Appearance: Dark reddish amber in color and slightly hazed. Light beige head was full and foamy with good retention. Fair lacing. Flavor: Medium sweet bready maltiness with notes of caramel and raisins, pine and grapefruit, yeast, and some light earthy hop notes into the finish. Medium bitterness and a slightly sweet finish. Palate: Medium bodied. Medium carbonation. Overall: Another ’ho-hum’ beer from Rogue. Not bad, but nothing I’d rush out to buy again.

I like this Beer because the label is a giant "Fuck YOU!" to all the overrated BSAs and Trappist Ales....as if a Monk would be man enough to drink this...

Bottle shared by DuctTape. Hazy brown body, small creamy beige head and nice lacing. (3+) Sweet lightly yeasty aroma, some hop notes. (6+) Sweet malty flavour with a healthy dose of hops and light Belgiany notes that may only be in my head. Not so different from the American Amber I just had really... Average palate. Not unpleasant but a bit of a let down.

22oz bottle: Pours to a clear, dark amber-tan colored body that shines a light amber-ruby color when held to the light. Atop sits a large beige colored head that quickly dies to a well-retained small covering with some lacing around the glass. The aroma is pretty sweet and malty, I guess I was expecting more hops (not that that is a problem). Dark plum & apple hit the nose along with hints of a dark bread dipped in light molasses, caramel, and just a hint of lime leaf. The first mouthful is almost watery up front and I’m surprised by how thin the body is. Taste is light caramel, though not very sweet, cola, something I can only describe as "quality malt flavor" - kind of a lightly roasted cereal-bread-grain. The hops come through towards the middle and it’s actually pretty bitter by that point, showing some flavors of lime leaf, citrus and grapefruit alongside a very bitter grass. Finishes with lingering hop bitterness and light retronasal hop overtones, though the final finish gives a bit of spicy honey. Light bodied, medium carbonated. I can’t figure this beer out. It’s like they couldn’t decide whether to do a belgian abbey double or an american double ipa....so they took half of each. It’s stuck in the middle ground and either needs to get more over-the-top hops or needs to get a sweeter, fuller, more flavorful malt backbone.